Parents make enough for me to get around $0.00 in grant money, but thanks to their own student loans ($500k+) and terrible business decisions, are willing and able to contribute somewhere between $0 and $0 to my education.

I am looking for a federal clerkship, a few years in big law (hopefully in Los Angeles), and then transition to ADA/AUSA/Politics. Initial interest in academia.

20k in undergrad debt. I'm single and tend to err on the side of frugality.

Last edited by spsc9 on Sun Mar 29, 2015 3:01 am, edited 2 times in total.

You also seem embarassed that Chicago is a "lesser school" than Harvard. And for some reason you either think employers give a fuck about a scholarship or think they look at Harvard as "better" than Chicago. Harvard has a 5-6% edge in clerkships, that's it. They've never had any other employment advantage over Chicago, and if you can't get hired out of Chicago, there's no reason to think having Harvard on your resume would make things any different.

So, do yourself a favor and take the lay prestige/political weight of Harvard. I'm sure its worth $300k more

Scenario 1You have rich AF significant other who is attending Stanford/Harvard. You are also a gold digger. You don't give a shit about being employed after school is done because of said rich spouse/GF/BF

Scenario 2You have a medical condition where if it gets below freezing outside you die, regardless of whether or not you are currently warm.You go to Stanford.

Scenario 3 You have communicated with aliens, and their cabal only recruits from H/S, you want to be in the extraterrestrial cabal, so obviously you pick H/S. (measly dollar debts are of no consequence when compared to your future salary measured in Galactic Credits)

Source: I turned down the Ruby (originally for Yale, but now at Stanford).

I think you need a really good reason to do so. (For me, it was a very clear career path best suited from Stanford, and more easily done from Yale, and both places I was into the JD/MBA program, whereas Booth didn't admit me). Another example of a "really good reason": Stanford because you are incredibly passionate about environmental law and would never be happy doing anything else.

Failing something like that (which, to me, you do not appear to have), the Ruby is perhaps the best outcome in the law school application process. Take it. Take it and be super happy.

Side note: I wouldn't even consider Harvard (I told them I wouldn't be attending as soon as I was offered the Ruby because they simply don't seem to offer any real advantage placement wise over CCN). This is between the Ruby and Stanford.